My 15 year old twin sons are avid, knowledgeable and talented musicians (guitar & drums). They visited George's a few times with their (also musician) Father. Jerry is passionate about music, extremely knowledgeable and personable. Best selection and knowledge of Mesa Boogie amps around! Our family has no hesitation in recommending George's Music Center to anyone, whether you're an established musician or interested in becoming one!!! read more

Was on the look out for a guitar to handle a wide range of sounds and styles, read many reviews about PRS Silver Sky SE models and decided to purchase one. After some online shopping, found a great deal on a desired color - backed up by some super friendly and knowledgeable sales staff at George's Music Center. Shipped super fast (arrived 2 days earlier than initial estimate vua FedEx). Will definitely be confident buying from George's again. read more

George is a consummate professional. He is incredibly knowledgeable about music, and instruments, and directed us to an affordable middle-priced keyboard that suited our budget and our needs. He generously gave us a discount when we explained our means. He sells a wide variety of instruments and supports beginners and professionals. He also hosts a music school downstairs for young children. 10/10 would recommend. He's also just a great guy--warm and jovial, and it was worth the long drive to meet him. read more

Been in the market to upgrade my electronic kit (Yamaha DTXtreme II) to one of the Roland V Drum sets with mesh heads. After a long series of discussions with one of the new owners, Jerry, I arrived at the Roland TD-27 set. Jerry took the time to understand my needs and goals with the set and pulled me back from going all the way up to the VAD 507 thus saving me from a much larger investment. He gave me a great deal, I gave him a deposit and a few weeks later my set came in. Wow, this set is amazing! Such a nice feel, phenomenal response off the mesh heads and the variability of tone/volume from the snare to hi-hat and ride is just a whole new level I've ever experienced from an electric set! I didn't have a standard hi-hat stand but fortunately George's had several in-stock and Jerry was quick to let me know if I wanted to upgrade the stand just bring it back and he'd credit me towards the next one up (haven't taken him up on the offer, the one I got the first time is great). They even took my old set in on consignment! Fantastic customer service and support, really couldn't ask for a better experience! read more

Buying from the online shop was fast and easy. My fragile item was shipped quickly and packed well. The item was photographed and represented correctly. I called to verify the item and spoke to the owner, George himself. He was very knowledgeable and down to earth, a good person. I hope to do business again. read more

I have traveled from Belchertown MA to his store twice. Both times the owner was extremely helpful. He spent time talking with me both times and helped me decide on which Mesa Boogie amp to purchase. I ordered a Mesa Boogie Triple Crown and was notified as soon as the shipment arrived. When I came back down to pickup the amp, he spent another amount of time with me discussing acoustic guitars (will be purchasing from his in the future, guitar stands, cables, etc. I have been out of the music scene for some time. Getting back into it and talking with the owner has been a huge help in getting me back into the swing of things. Can't give enough praise to him. Plus, he's an extremely nice guy and personable, unlike other music stores I have been to and done business with. Which I had discovered this store earlier when building my collection of guitars and equipment. read more

The owner is the rudest business owner I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. I went there to have work done on one of my guitars ; A Gibson Les Paul and while the work done was fine he was arrogant and basically called my guitar a piece of garbage to my face. I've played many over the years and I was very fortunate to find this particular one. It has always stood well against any I've ever played. I couldn't believe it. At least pretend you like your customers. At least try to be polite and nice. At least try to be human. I haven't stepped foot in there since and I never will. If you had a zero star I would have chosen that one. read more

I was going to write a long detailed negative experience with about the business but user Luke A. above already wrote about the same exact experience I had. I asked an associate for suggestions for an instrument I was purchasing as a present. They knew it was a present and no one mentioned the "no return policy".. Very defensive about "no return policy" that is nowhere written on the receipt, no posting in the store, and no mention of it at the checkout. Even though by CT law, if nothing about no return policy is posted, a business should take in a new item for a full refund within 7 calendar days. Tried to return in 6 days. read more

George is a great guy. I've been in the store a handful of times and he always makes a person feel welcome whether it's just looking around or picking up a few odds and ends. It seems like any other local shop I've been to someone has a snooty attitude. He's got a great selection of gear and he has a lot of knowledge especially on Jackson which I personally love. He replaced a humbucker for me along with a setup months back and I couldn't be happier. Pricing is very fair. I don't buy as much gear as I used to years ago but I wouldn't think twice on coming here for any future needs. Happy to support a local business that deserves it. read more

Totally successful visit. Love the guitars (bought TWO!!). Love the service, ambiance, and enthusiasm, and HONESTY. I had brought in a guitar I would have spent twice what it was worth to fix... but they gently, and honestly declined the impossible task. I literally turned around and found my dream guitar a moment later. (A lovely black Takamine G Series, lightly used, and fairly priced. Such a good place. Trust them. And how right it felt to shop LOCAL!! read more

I will never go back - I've had disappointing experiences with George periodically over the years, but today's was bad enough that I had to write about it. The summary of the situation is I bought an entry level mandolin, quickly realized the instrument had some shortcomings and I needed to upgrade to a better model. The following interaction I had with George was him being condescending and defensive, revealing his no return policy that he never communicated, insisting everything is fine with the instrument, talking down to me like I've never played guitar before and justifying his inventory with misinformation. Let me explain in detail: 1 - George has a no return policy. Other stores do, but George doesn't, he doesn't communicate this at checkout and there's no information on the receipt. George is a fast talking salesman who has a great knowledge of technical guitar information, but clearly became flustered when I suggested a return because he started talking faster and louder like he was preparing for an argument before one happened. It was incredibly upsetting to see his defensiveness, and I knew this was not going to end in my favor. He wouldn't even accept store credit, but his eyes lit up when I suggested an upgrade. 2 - George, being the fast talking, guitar tech-savvy salesman, will inter-splice half truths with the facts to sell what he has. To justify the lack in quality of the a-style mandolin I was unhappy with, George proceeded to give me a paraphrased mandolin history and tell me how a-style mandolins have always been meant for beginners and real players want the f-style. This is a flat out lie. George sells Ibanez Mandolins only, and in terms of their product line the a-style is an entry level model followed by upgraded f-styles, therein lies the half-truth and an ugly sales tactic. I spent the past 3 years living in Nashville around folk musicians, most touring professionals - in fact, go to youtube right now and look up Tim O'Brien, a folk/americana legend. You will see him mostly playing a-style mandolins - but why would Tim O'Brien play beginner mandolins? He doesn't, and that means George doesn't mind lying to customers to complete a sale or solve a dispute. 3 - George is completely condescending. I've played guitar most of my life, and as I mentioned I was a songwriter in Nashville for a few years. I am new to playing mandolins but not acoustic instruments, and when I tried to explain how the cheap model had intonation issues as well as playability issues he went into long winded explanations about wood expanding and contracting and how I had to give it time to settle. The problems I found in the instrument are beyond this, but George was so wound up in his defense against the return he refused to listen to what I was actually saying. He was combative, even using anecdotes about misconceptions beginner guitar players have, insinuating I was one. I ended up, with great regret and feeling pressured and trapped, upgrading. I figured I could at least walk out with something playable, but I should have cut my losses. I kept coming back to George, even after similar condescending experiences, because I really wanted to support this local small business. This transaction wouldn't have been my last, and if I ended up happy I would have been appreciative and continued my business. However, if a store demonstrates time and again a lack of flexibility and poor customer service then it's hard to give my support when the competitors offer that in spades. It's unfortunate when a business owner cannot see the bigger picture trying to get every penny out of a situation, but what they're really doing is shooting themselves in the foot and hurting their business in the long run. Sorry George, you lost me. read more

The guys are knowledgeable about guitars. I brought my teenage son into George's to try some PRS guitars, and we were treated to a lesson on the various high-end custom guitars and options available. They were not overpriced, maybe a little above the cheapest online prices, but well worth it when you consider the value of the help you receive. read more

I'm not sure what other people were talking about. I talked to both George and another associate, both of which were pleasant and informative. My son had crinkled his trumpet, and I was quoted a rough price on the spot. He explained it wasn't exact pricing because the trumpet would be sent out, and it depended on labor. The trumpet was ready, when he said it would be and no I didn't have to pay anything up front before they would look at it. They also recommended a place that does piano tuning. Very nice experience and I would go there again. read more

i love this guy. this has been my greatest experience shopping online ever, and honestly if I'd have shopped here retail i would say the same thing. great customer service. went out of his way to take care of my order and kept me posted through the whole process. it's very clear that this guy cares about his customers. i actually had an order fall through with a different shop, and that's the reason i can't here - now I'm glad the first one didn't work out cuz this guy is awesome. next time i go shopping for gear i will absolutely be looking here first. read more

I recently ordered a used high end PRS guitar from George and it was a straight forward transaction. The price was very reasonable for the specific model and condition of the instrument. I ordered it online, without touching it or playing it, and the guitar arrived in the exact condition as it was described on his website. Regarding the return policy, I recommend talking to George about it before hand to ensure you understand the store policies and the specific item's condition. I spoke to George on the phone before placing my order and he was both friendly and helpful. He answered all of my questions (and I had a lot of them, lol). I don't understand the negative reviews on here but I guess everyone has their own specific experiences; my experience was very positive and I would definitely do business with him again. read more

We spent quite a bit of money here before we switched to another music store. We did not find customer appreciation a priority, in fact he was rude, and we were quite surprised that one has to pay CASH upfront for a repair before they even look at it. Expensive. Did I mention they were rude? read more

I read the reviews here and at google, and decided to give George's a try because it's close. I'm a total novice, middle-aged woman walking in with her teenage son who wants an entry level acoustic. I met George and another man (Steve) and the were both great. Even though I mentioned that I was interested in a cheap second hand guitar they were honest and told me straight out that the least expensive new guitars are have a lower price tag than their least expensive used. They then showed us the bottom three models and let my son try them out and choose the one he likes best. Even when he chose the least expensive one they didn't try to talk him out of it, or into a more expensive model. They were kind, friendly, professional and just earned two lifetime customers. Oh, and I checked out prices on guitars at Amazon (with free shipping) and George is NOT overpriced. Well worth the extra dollar or two to have the instrument properly tuned before we went out the door. PS I also asked about lessons and the cost at George's is about HALF what I've been quoted (and paid) at other places. We'll be back! read more